# Substance Use Among American Indian Youth:   Epidemiology & Etiology

> **NIH NIH R01** · COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $150,852

## Abstract

Project Summary
 COVID-19 has had disproportionate negative impacts on American Indian (AI) communities for a variety of
reasons, including inadequate healthcare, lack of or broken infrastructure, high rates of comorbidity,
devastation of economies (e.g., gaming and tourism), and inadequate and disjointed efforts to ameliorate the
effects of the virus (Doshi, Jordan, Kelly and Solomon, 2020). AI adolescents have some of the highest
substance use rates in the U.S. and findings from other research indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic may be
changing substance use rates and patterns. This study would examine COVID-related changes in substance
use and relationships between substance use and psychosocial and other variables that may be affected by
the pandemic among American Indian adolescents who live on or near reservations.
 One aim of this project is to provide nationally representative rates and mean levels of COVID-related
variables by grade, sex, and ethnicity (AI and non-AI) for COVID-related substance use behavior measures;
COVID morbidity and mortality experienced by these adolescents; COVID-specific attitudes and behaviors
(e.g., perceived risks of infection); COVID-related protective factors for substance use; and COVID-related risk
factors for substance use. In addition, the study will examine models of COVID-19 related risk and protective
factors that might influence AI adolescent substance use. These models will be focused on resilience to
identify the strengths that result in positive outcomes for these adolescents. School principals will also be
surveyed to gather information about their COVID-related responses and resources available to help students
cope with the effects from the pandemic. This data will be incorporated into multilevel models.
 The findings from this research will be published in scientific peer-reviewed journals and will be
disseminated widely to Native, public health, school, and policy officials.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10321039
- **Project number:** 3R01DA003371-32A1S1
- **Recipient organization:** COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Mark A Prince
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $150,852
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 1983-09-01 → 2025-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10321039

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10321039, Substance Use Among American Indian Youth:   Epidemiology & Etiology (3R01DA003371-32A1S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-08-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10321039. Licensed CC0.

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